HISD vows to fix libraries -- but not by the book

District officials not convinced state standards are right for schools' needs

By Jennifer Radcliffe |
February 12, 2008

Oliver Renfrow, 8, takes a reading test Monday at Oak Forest Elementary. An audit found 80 percent of schools have too few computers.

Acknowledging that many of their campus libraries are subpar, Houston Independent School District officials said Monday they will develop a multimillion-dollar plan to buy more books and computers for the struggling facilities.

But HISD leaders were adamant that they wouldn't hold themselves to the state's basic — or "acceptable" — guideline for libraries, such as providing at least 9,000 books in every library, saying the standards are unrealistic and sometimes impossible.

HISD's pledge to improve comes in response to an unflattering audit released Monday that shows that 42 percent of HISD's 255 libraries aren't staffed with the state recommended number of certified librarians, while 94 percent don't have enough clerks.

More than half need more books and nearly 80 percent need more computers to meet state standards, according to the audit, which measured HISD against the voluntary guidelines that the Legislature asked the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, a state agency, to develop in 2005.

Karen Soehnge, HISD's chief academic officer, said district officials acknowledge the library system's deficiencies but don't agree with the state recommendation.

"These state standards are the Cadillac version," she said. "We want to improve the quality of our libraries, but maybe not to these particular standards."

The district, which paid a consultant $9,000 for the audit, fares much worse when measured against the commission's "recognized" and "exemplary" standards.

Standards questioned

As part of a broader effort to improve literacy programs in the district, a committee of educators will decide this spring on how many books and computers each HISD library needs. They're also expected to create other initiatives, including a summer reading program.

Money for the programs is expected to be included in next year's budget, but administrators aren't sure of a price yet.

HISD trustees said they're not convinced that aiming for the state's acceptable standards is the best use of the district's scarce resources. They're not sure, for instance, that stocking each school with 9,000 books or 10 computers will lead to academic gains.

Many Houston schools are small and may opt to spread books throughout classrooms, board members said.

"It's frustrating, it's so frustrating to hear about a state standard that doesn't take into account some of the things that are unique to our schools," board president Harvin Moore said, referring to the decentralized management structure and array of school sizes.

"There is no substitute for library books in helping children, especially disadvantaged ones, develop a lifetime love of reading," he said.

Importance of reading

A Chronicle analysis conducted in November showed that about 70 percent of HISD libraries missed the state's acceptable mark on either collection size or age. At that time, the district's average collection was 14 years old and had 17 items per student.

The analysis highlighted the wide discrepancies that exists because each campus decides how to budget its money. Some principals opt to hire a librarian or to replenish its collection of books, while others do not.

Madison High School, for example, only had four books per student, while River Oaks Elementary had 50, according to HISD data from late fall. Dogan Elementary School had a three-year-old collection, but Worthing High's was 36.

Library advocates said HISD shouldn't back down from the state standards, which were developed over 18 months by a team of educators and experts. And Texas' acceptable mark is far from a Cadillac, they said.

Spring Branch administrator Barry Bishop, a former Texas Library Association president who helped write the state standards, noted that Texas has one of the more lax set of standards for acceptable libraries.

A plethora of research points to the importance of having well-stocked and well-staffed school libraries, Bishop said.

"The evidence is all over the United States," he said. "Good libraries equal student achievement."

Sunnyside resident Alice Pradia, who has been advocating for better HISD libraries for years, said she's thankful the school district may finally take some action. She hopes it will also include mandating certified librarians on every campus.